Facial recognition technology is gaining prominence in mobile apps: A reflection on the current state of affairs

Face recognition technology has become highly popular because of its huge benefits. The main purpose of this software is to identify human faces by analyzing the characteristics of a person’s face images taken with digital video camera. This is a highly reliable technology that leaves the people unaware of the process.

The consumer market is full of mobile apps that can tag you with the help of face recognition technology. Mobile app developers face several issues such as –limited storage, less process power, band width, connection instability etc with mobile apps of this category. The main idea behind developing this type of mobile apps is to identify people and adapt it to many apps in future.

This post is meant to provide information about face recognition mobile apps, the technology behind it and why you need face recognition mobile apps.

Let’s get started…..

What is facial recognition?

Facial recognition is flexible biometric software that maps individual’s facial features and stores the data as a face print.This technology is typically used to identify or verify the person using digital image stored in a database. The main reason behind the popularity of face recognition technology is its capability to identify humans to make payments, unlock smartphones and do a variety of activities. This technology is similar to the finger print Touch ID found on Apple Devices. The best thing about this technology is the security it provides to access third party apps. iPhone app developers are high on this since iPhone X was launched supporting this.

Face biometrics have the potential to be integrated anywhere you can find a digital camera. It has paved a way for selfie-based authentication on smart devices such as – tablets, laptops and phones. Though it doesn’t deal with hard identities, it has the ability to gather data on large crowds. It is easy to use, especially on consumer devices.

How it works?

The facial recognition software works on simple principle that identifies 80 nodal points on human face. The nodal points are the end points that are used to measure different elements of human face such as – length and width of nose, shape or cheekbones, depth of eye sockets and many more. The data of these nodal points is captured on digital image of individual’s face and the result is stored as ‘Faceprint’, which is used to compare with the captured images.

Humans always have ability to recognize and distinguish between faces, and hence it seems to be an easy thing. Though the facial recognition system uses 80 nodal points to identify targeted individuals, it is sometimes unreliable. There may be cases when the conditions are unfavorable and the light is insufficient. However, it is difficult to fool – as face recognition compares the facial landmarks, angles of defined facial features and specific proportions. In short, these elements cannot be easily concealed by eyeglasses, make up, moustache or beard.

Applications of face recognition technology

Face recognition is ideal for high traffic areas and many other businesses. There are a number of ways businesses and government agencies employ face recognition technology. Though there are many technological concerns, it is difficult to argue against good things. Whether it is identifying missing children or catching shoplifters, facial recognition is used widely. Here are some of the amazing applications of face recognition technology.

Fraud detection

Developers of mobile apps are using face recognition technology to distinguish human face from photograph. Sometimes, face recognition technology is not able to distinguish between human face and photo. To overcome this issue, mobile app developers are combining deep learning the face recognition technology. It has been reported that this type of technology is implemented by healthcare, banking, military and other important sectors.

Payments

Online shopping has become quite popular in the recent years. People from around the world prefer buying online. However, many of them are concerned about the security issues. Reputed smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Google have installed face recognition software in their phones so that consumers will be able to carry out financial transactions easily from their phones. Not only this, this face recognition technology in their phones let the users get into their house, cars and other secured locations by simply looking at them. This innovative face recognition technology is highly useful for companies that handle sensitive data.

Healthcare

Healthcare is another important sector that makes effective use of face recognition technology. Today, medical professionals can identify the illness just by looking at the features of the patient. When a patient fails to take their medications as prescribed by the doctor, medication non-adherence may occur. This is one of the biggest challenges that occur in more than 50% of patients who receive medication prescription. Healthcare professionals are using this technology to improve medication adherence practice. There are some apps that can identify the patient and the prescribed drug. The app can confirm if the drug is ingested by the patient or not.

Advertising

Face recognition plays an important role in collecting data masses of personal data. Advertisers will get a chance to get closer to the target marketers from certain demographics. For example – if the customer is a male between 18-25 ages, the screen might show him relevant products or services. Using this technology, cameras can identify the correct age and gender, giving marketers an opportunity to target the right customer. Face recognition technology is used in a number of ecommerce portals and mobile apps.

Pros and cons of face recognition technology

Face recognition technology is currently used to unlock phones, tag friends in social media and even make a checkout at grocery store. However, there are some pros and cons of face recognition technology, some of which are as below.

Pros

Improved security level

Great level of accuracy

It is easy to integrate face recognition technology into an app or device

It is fully automated and no human intervention is needed

Cons

This technology can’t generate accurate results, if the image size and quality is not clear

Processing and storing huge database of image is difficult

Lighting and pose can affect the accuracy

Popular apps that use it

Few years back, face recognition apps seemed to be something that is difficult to achieve. Today, there are dozens of face recognition apps that people sue to enhance their security. Some of the popular face recognition apps are – FaceLock, TrueKey, LogMe, IObitApplock, FindFace, FaceVault, Face Detection etc. The basic functionality of these apps is to enhance the privacy and security of your digital property. These apps let you unlock your device only when it detects your face. Whether it is unlocking the entire screen or individual apps, these apps can help you.

The principle of face recognition apps is quite simple. All these apps are aimed at protecting your confidential information, providing you a different level of security.

Conclusion

Face recognition technology is working successfully and is being used in a number of industries. These technologies can offer a wide usage, by increasing protection level of your personal data. Mobile app developers have not ignored the growing interest of facial recognition and hence are considering new ways to apply it in an unconventional way.

Whether you want to build a consumer app or an enterprise app, adding face recognition technology gives you a competitive edge over others. If you are looking further to get your app, we are always there to help you. Promatics Technologies will ensure you the best app with the most advanced features like face detection.

With an ability to learn and apply, passion for coding and development, Gagandeep Sethi has made his way from a trainee to Tech Lead at Promatics. He stands at the forefront of the fatest moving technology industry trend: hybrid mobility solutions. He has good understanding of analyzing technical needs of clients and proposing the best solutions. Having demonstrated experience in building hybroid apps using Phonegap and Ionic, his work is well appreciated by his clients. Gagandeep holds master’s degree in Computer Application. When he is not at work, he loves to listen to music and hang out with friends.

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Promatics is an ISO 9001:2008 certified offshore web and mobile application development company with a strong team of 100+ highly skilled IT experts delighting SMEs across USA, Europe and APAC. Our services and solutions help clients to achieve tangible business value and remain competitive in today’s evolving marketplaces.